The case is crafted from 18Kt pink gold chosen by Jaeger LeCoultre designers for its warm tone and structural resilience. Given all the complications, it is no surprise that this watch rides high on the wrist with a case thickness of 13.2mm. The main crown is very prominent on this watch; it is ridged for the easy winding and adjustments to the many calendar complications. There is another crown located at the 10 o’clock position which controls the moon phase. The stationary bezel holds firmly a highly scratch resistant sapphire crystal which has been glare proofed on both sides ensuring optimum readability.
The Duometre a Quantieme Lunaire 40.5 boasts a unique layout for the time and calendar. The hours and minutes are indicated through a subdial at the 2 o’clock position, while the date and moon phase are shown at 10 o’clock. The subdial at 2 features 18Kt rose gold applied Arabic numeral hour markers at 12, 3, 6, and 9. The diamond shaped hands in this subdial are also crafted from 18Kt rose gold. The date is indicated by a blued steel hand while the moon phase uses a 29½ day scale in conjunction with depictions in rose gold of the lunar cycle.
The continuous seconds are indicated by a central hand. The hands are styled as Feuille hands which are also reminiscent of the hands from the pocket watch era. Completing the dial is the complication from where the Duometre gets its name – a double power reserve. The power reserve indicators are differentiated through color, with the blued steel hand indicating the power left for the complications; and the rose gold hand indicating the power reserve for the time keeping functions.
The movement Calibre Jaeger-LeCoultre 381 is mechanical manual winding with a balance wheel that vibrates at 21,600 oscillations per hour (3Hz). This breathtakingly attractive movement is comprised of 369 individual components with 40 jewels. This watch carries a power reserve of 50 hours. The decoration of the movement is not the usual Cote de Genève but a starburst emanating from the balance wheel.
Securing this watch to the wrist is a large, square scale, brown alligator leather strap outfitted with a classic pin buckle clasp. This watch is water resistant to 50 meters (5 bars). The Jaeger LeCoultre Duometre a Quantieme Lunaire 40.5 retails for USD$36,300 at select boutiques.
